Many individuals use ladders, such as extension ladders, to perform work on their homes and other structures, or to access elevated positions. For example, many individuals use an extension ladder to paint elevated portions of their homes, or to trim branches on a tree that could not be otherwise accessed from ground level. When working on a ladder, the individual typically requires access to a variety of tools and/or supplies. However, it can be both time consuming and dangerous for the individual to have to ascend and descend a ladder each time the individual requires a different tool or supply, particularly if the individual must use one of his or her hands to carry the tool or supply while ascending/descending the ladder.
To overcome such difficulties, some individuals will attempt to carry multiple tools and/or supplies up the ladder in a single trip and then attempt to position said tools and/or supplies on one or more of the ladder rungs. However, this practice is dangerous for a number of reasons. First, the items stored on the ladder rung create a climbing hazard for an individual ascending or descending the ladder. Additionally, the items stored on the ladder rung could fall from the ladder and cause damage to individuals or property below the ladder rung. Even if a falling tool or supply does not cause injury or property damage, it still necessitates the individual having to make an additional trip up and down the ladder to retrieve the fallen item.
In an attempt to overcome the aforementioned problems, other individuals may wear a tool belt or other harness to enable the individual to transport tools and/or supplies up and down a ladder and to store the tools and supplies when in an elevated work environment. However, tool belts and harnesses laden with tools can weigh an individual down or cause the individual to lose balance while ascending/descending a ladder. Tool belts also tend to be bulky and may limit the individual's mobility.
Consequently, there exists in the art a long-felt need for an accessory device that can be removably attached to a ladder, such as an extension ladder, and that can serve as an elevated work platform for the temporary storage of tools, supplies and other items. There also exists in the art a long felt need for an accessory work platform device that can be easily positioned and repositioned along the outside rail of a ladder and out of the path of an individual ascending/descending the ladder, thereby greatly improving safety without sacrificing accessibility. Finally, there is a long-felt need for an accessory device that accomplishes all of the forgoing objectives and that is relatively inexpensive to manufacture, aesthetically pleasing, and safe and easy to use.